Movie News

Friday, June 7, 2013

This Week in Movie Trailers: Machete Kills, The To Do List, A Most Wanted Man, Insidious 2, and Filth

Again this week, I have got a
whole heckuvalot of new movie trailers for you to peruse, criticize, and get
excited over. So let’s get right to it:

First up is Machete Kills, the
Grindhouse-styled sequel from Robert Rodriguez.

In his third big screen
appearance (first as a faux trailer in the Rodriguez/Tarantino double feature Grindhouse, then later in his own full-length spin-off), Machete – played by the always great Danny Trejo – is
recruited by the U.S. government to take down an arms dealer.

I loved the faux trailer and was
mildly amused by the first film, not sure the gimmick has the legs to keep
going for another whole movie (or the already rumored threequel, which
supposedly send Machete into space!)

Second is Blue Jasmine, Woody
Allen’s annual appearance at the movie theater this year.

Now I love Woody Allen, but even
his most ardent fans cannot deny his spotty filmography over the past decade-plus.
For every Match Point or Midnight in Paris, there is an Anything Else and You Will Meet a Talk Dark Stranger. But this new trailer looks
promising, but then again, so did some of the others. I will always have faith
in Woody to come through every now and then, but I am realistic – hopefully
this one ends up in the plus column.

Third we have The To Do List, a rare, female-centric
foray into the teen sex comedy sub-genre.

I will go ahead and admit that I
have a tremendous crush on Aubrey Plaza, thanks to Parks & Rec, Safety Not
Guaranteed, and everything else featuring her trademark deadpan/slightly
mean style of comedy. So I am all in for this movie regardless, but thankfully,
it also looks really funny and great throwback to the genre’s classic ‘80s-'90s
roots.

Sure to bring in a lot of laughs,
the rest of the cast includes Andy Samberg, Bill Hader, Donald Glover, Rachel
Bilson, Johnny Simmons, Alia Shawkat, Connie Britton, and Clark Gregg. See The To Do List in theaters July 26.

Next is the sales trailer/sizzle reel for A
Most Wanted Man, a film you might not of have heard of yet, but be glad
you have now.

There are several reason why you
should be excited for this film: 1) it looks awesome – atmospheric and tense,
2) it is based on a novel by the fantastic John le Carré, 3)
it is directed by Anton Corbijn (whose previous films Control and The American
were both excellent), and 4) Phillip Seymour Hoffman rocking a serious German
accent.

Hoffman is joined by Willem
Dafoe, Robine Wright, Rachel McAdams, and Daniel Bruhl.
A Most Wanted Mancomes to theaters November 22.

Then we have a new film from Luc
Besson – The Family, starring Robert De Niro as the legendary actor
looks to continue his resurgence after last year’s delightful Silver Linings Playbook.

Besson (Leon: The Professional, The
Fifth Element, La Femme Nikita)
assembles a strong cast around De Niro for this intriguing looking film,
including Tommy Lee Jones, Michel Pfeiffer, and Dianna Agron. The Family is due in theaters September
20.

Next up, we have two sequels to
two reasonably successful films – Insidious: Chapter 2 and Percy
Jackson: Sea of Monsters. Both of which (the originals) I moderately
liked, but don’t really remember that well.

Picking up where the last left
off, Insidious 2 again stars Patrick
Wilson and Rose Byrne as parents to a child haunted by an evil spirit. Barbara
Hershey, Lin Shaye, and child actor Ty Simpkins also return.

Based on the popular book series,
this second entry in the modern day Greek gods tale also returns many of the
original’s stars, such as Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario, Brandon T. Jackson,
and Sean Bean, while adding Nathan Fillion, Missi Pyle, and Stanley Tucci.

Both films look okay and worthy
follow-ups, but neither have me counting down the days until they hit theaters.
Insidious
2 comes to theaters September 13 and Percy Jackson 2 hits
August 7.

Still with me? Okay, next up is Paranoia,
a thriller set in highest level of the business world. The film stars Liam
Hemsworth, Amber Heard, Harrison Ford, and Gary Oldman.

Looks okay, nothing particularly
exciting, but it could possibly be a nice break from the typical summer
blockbusters. Paranoia hits theaters August 16.

Then we have Getaway, which looks kind of awful,
but hey, you never know.

An apparent mash-up of Taken and Gone in 60 Seconds, The Getaway stars Ethan Hawke and
Selena Gomez as a former racecar driver and . . . a young car thief apparently
(yeah, I’m not buying it) – and probably the least unconvincing
action movie duo ever. Getaway drives into theaters.

And finally, we have trailer #10
and the last for this week – Filth, starring James McAvoy as a
bipolar, bigoted junkie cop and has what may already be the best poster I have seen all year.

Based on the novel by Irvine
Welsh (Trainspotting), the film looks
like a frantic and fun, British version of Bad
Lieutenant (both the original Harvey Keitel version and the quasi-remake
Nic Cage one). I also like to see McAvoy branching out a taking on a bit of
wilder, off-kilter role than he is used to.